The present invention relates to exercise apparatus for improving a user's swing with a ball striking device and more specifically to a device that provides components of force to a ball striking device throughout a training swing by a user which gives beneficial exercise, muscle memory and co-ordination and training and concentration and focus when the ball striking device moves slowly through a swing motion.
Devices have been provided in the past for improving a practice swing of a golf club, baseball bat, or the like, and generally these have been restricted to either improving the path of a swing or a particular portion of the swing.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,002 there is provided a golf swing exercise device which may be utilized indoors. It provides a T-shaped support beam. A golf grip and part of a golf club shaft is securely attached to one end of a rope and a weight is attached to the opposite end of the rope. The rope passes through pulleys secured to the support beam. The user exercises by grasping the golf grip and simulating a golf swing which reciprocates the weight attached to the rope. Since there is only one rope involved, the nature of the forces applied to the simulated golf club are restricted.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,966,203 there is provided a golf swing practice and exercise device in which a free fall weight moves vertically along an open-ended guide tube. A cord is attached at one of the weight and passes through a guide eye at the top of the tube and through a second guide farther down the tube and terminates in a sock which can be attached to the head of a golf club. The cord applies a restraining pull to the golf club head to vary the degree of exercise obtained in use. Again the device is restricted to a single cord and is limited in the nature of the forces which can be applied.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,310 shows an apparatus for analyzing the movement of a golf swing. A first line is provided between a measuring device and the golf club head and a second line between a measuring device and the player's body. The purpose of the device is one of analyzing rather than exercising and the fact that only one line is provided to the golf club head imposes limitations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,991 shows a device for use in manipulating a golf club swing. A weighted member such as a slider is secured to another member for guiding the slider through a predetermined path. A pair of flexible cords are secured to a pair of spaced apart posts and engage both the slider and the golf club head. As the user swings the golf club the slider is caused to follow a predetermined path causing the flexible cords to become taut, or slack, at predetermined points through the swing. In this fashion the golf head is caused to be swung to accelerate at maximum speed through the point of contact with the ball. Although two flexible cords are provided in this configuration, they function in a fashion such that they tend to control the action of the swing without providing much in the way of muscle tone improving features, and without providing resistance as the swing moves the golf head through the ball impact zone.